keep 用法 1 (keep/ keep on)
問：(a) In the process, he enjoyed himself thoroughly and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals. (New Concept English, Book 3, L. 29)
(b) From the moment he arrived there, he kept on pestering his doctor to tell him when he would be able to go home. (New Concept English, Book 3, L.29)
請問上面有關keep 用法的keep doing 與keep on doing 有無區別?
答：見下面keep doing/ keep on doing。
keep 用法2 (keep doing/ keep on doing 1)
問：keep doing sth. 與keep on doing sth. 在意義上究竟有無區別?
答：對於初學者, 只指出keep doing sth. 和keep on doing sth. 意思一樣, 就足夠掌握keep 用法了(都表示continue doing sth.) 。
- He keeps (on) interrupting (= interrupts continually).
他不停地打斷別人講話。 - Why does she keep (on) giggling?
她為什麼老是不停地傻笑?
對於英語水準較高的學習者, 則應指出: keep doing sth. 常常含有不間斷的意思, 而keep on doing sth.則可能含有間斷的意思, 但是更強調“反復”和“決心”, 而且常常附加感情色彩:
- He keeps on phoning me and I really don’t want to talk to him.
他老是不斷地給我打電話, 而我真不願意跟他談話。 - Do be quiet, Sally, and don’t keep on asking such silly questions.
安靜點, 薩莉, 別老是問這種愚蠢的問題。 - I keep on forgetting to post my wife’s letters!
我總是忘記把我妻子的信件給寄出去! - In the years that followed, Marx kept on studying English and using it.
在這之後的幾年中, 馬克思繼續學習英語並使用英語。
小練習：請選出正確的答案。（留言作答）
1. To keep on doing something is to _______.
A. stop doing it
B. refrain from doing it
C. continue doing it
D. avoid doing it
2. From time to time a wave burst over the boat and swept over him, but he kept ______ for ten minutes.
A. to work
B. to working
C. on working
D. on work
keep 用法3 (keep doing/ keep on doing 2)
問：在keep doing sth. 和keep on doing sth. 結構中的doing 是分詞, 還是動名詞, 換言之, keep 是及物動詞還是不及物動詞?
答：一般辭書(例如, Longman Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs 和Oxford Dictionary of Current Idiomatic English) 均把keep 用法看作是不及物動詞, 而把on 看作副詞, 因而把doing 看作分詞。
keep 用法 4 (keep house/ keep the house)
問：Mr Green is a man who likes to keep the house.
有人將這句話譯作:“格林先生是一個喜歡主持家務的人。”對嗎?
答：不對。keep the house 不作“主持家務”、“管家”解, 而作“居家不外出”、“深居簡出”解。keep house(無定冠詞) 才作“主持家務”、“管家”解:
- His mother would come and keep house for them.
他母親會來替他們照料家務。 - Since their mother died, Mary keeps house for her father and brother.
自從他們母親去世以來, 瑪麗一直為她父親和兄弟照料家務。
keep 用法 5 (keep on/ keep up)
問：My sister _______ her shorthand ability by taking notes in shorthand during lectures.
A. keeps on
B. keeps up
C. keeps in
D. keeps with
keep on 與keep up 都作“continue”、“not s top”(繼續) 解。這一點可以從下面的兩道託福題得到證明:
(1) To keep on doing something is to ________.
A. stop doing it
B. refrain from doing it
C. continue doing it
D. avoid doing it
(2) To continue to do something is to keep it _______.
A. up
B. on
C. along
D. around
為什麼上面的試題只能選B(keeps up), 而不能選A(keeps on) ?
答：雖然keep on 與keep up 都可作“繼續”解, 但是, 在這個意義上, keep on 之後總是跟分詞(doing sth.), 而keep up 之後總是跟名詞(keep up + N), 例如:
- A string broke, but the pianist kept on playing.
一根琴弦斷了, 但是這位鋼琴家繼續演奏下去。 - He just kept on hitting the boy although I told him to stop.
儘管我叫他停手, 他還是繼續打孩子。 - I’m glad that you are keeping up your studies.
我很高興你在堅持學習。 - If only I’d kept up my German, I might have got that job in Berlin.
要是我繼續學習德語的話, 那我也許得到柏林的那份工作了。 - Well done! Keep up the good work!
做得好！繼續好好做吧！